April W STE

Experience Description

My spiritual experiences happened when I was in my late 20's or early 30's going to college. In the 'Sociology of Religion' class, I learned how much of the Bible was influenced by the Jewish culture. I reasoned, that if God wrote the Bible like I had been told, God would not have been limited or confined by a human-made culture. My conclusion was that God did not write the Bible, humans did. That insight changed everything for me. It meant that I was no longer a Christian. At first, the difference was very dramatic in my life. To me, it felt like I had been used to living in a forest with many trees for protection and now I was out in an open field without my protection. I suspect this sudden, huge change and being open-minded to whatever spiritual world there was, allowed what came next.

Some time later I had my first spiritual experience. I was driving down a road in Alaska and my young daughter was with me. All of a sudden, in my brain I heard, 'The truck behind you will not be able to stop when it is time. But, you will not be hurt.' I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a big truck a good distance behind me. Since there were two lanes, I considered changing lanes. Since the information was so clear that we would not be hurt, I decided to test it. We traveled a mile or two before the stoplight turned red. I watched the truck behind me. It came right up to my bumper. The driver jumped out and opened his hood. The failure to stop scared.

Later, I had my second and big spiritual experience. I was going to counseling and had been doing so for many years. My counselor often assigned me homework. This was self-hypnosis in the form of visualization work. Normally it was boring. As I was running the water for a bath, I got the urge to 'self-hypnotize' which was the first time that ever happened. I swept the thought away because I didn't want to do it. But then the thought came back much bigger and stronger; it was persistent and insistent. My attempts to get rid of the strange urge didn’t work. So after getting into the bathtub, I thought to myself that I would do this really fast to get this urge to disappear. I went through the normal steps to self-hypnotize. This time, there was a strong force involved.

Immediately, I left my body and found my consciousness in a new, spiritual dimension. I didn’t have a body, but I was me with the same knowledge, memories, thoughts, feelings, stupidity, and etc. I was aware of many thousands of other beings. I had zero feelings of fear, concern or alarm. I could hear them speak telepathically. I just thought and then they heard and responded to me. We were all one. I heard their thoughts and they heard mine. I was told, 'Everything that ever was or will be, is here.' I was in a place where all knowledge existed. If I wanted to know anything, it was here that I knew. All people in the past and in the future were here. Time did not exist because it was all in one place. I asked several questions, like 'Should I date this person?' They replied, 'We don’t care.' I asked, 'What if he is married?' Again they replied, 'We don’t care.'

I thought how non-judgmental the spiritual world was. My will, was mine. There was a very large presence that was LOVE. It was so big, strong and it was everywhere. It was like the sunshine from the sun in that it could be felt and absorbed because it permeated everything. At that point, I could not think or feel because the love was that BIG. Love dominated everything. Yet, all knowledge, all time, and all being one were still not everything to this experience. The feeling of Love was so strong, it was the energy force that everything ran on. Every inch of millions of galaxies was full of the power of love. It was extreme and too much for me, but I wanted nothing other than to continue this experience and feel the love.

I believe I was in the spiritual world for hours because when I returned the bath water was very cold. But I only remember asking one more dumb question before leaving, 'Is there a God?' The response was a chorus of happy laughter and then I was returned to my body.

I did not want to be back on earth. I wanted to stay in the Love, nothing on earth compared to the wonderfulness and the intensity of the love I experienced in the Spiritual World. Now I know that God is Love. Love is everything; Love is God and God is Love.

My spiritual experience was all positive until I came back to earth. I didn't know how to communicate that experience. It was too big, too powerful and too much for me to share with others. I knew everyone would think I was nuts. I even thought that I might even be crazy. So I hid my story from most everyone, including myself. I stopped self-hypnotizing all together and I forgot the event, until I came across NDE videos on YouTube many, many years later. Then I got to thinking, 'I'm not nuts! I had a spiritual experience!' Now I am finding joy and Happiness in the wonderful gift God gave me.

Background Information:

Gender: Female

Date NDE Occurred: between 1990 and 1993

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? No. I was taking a bath, I think I had a spiritual experience not an NDE. I have no reason to believe I Other Unless I drowned in the bathtub, while unconscious due to the spiritual experience, which doesn’t ma

How do you consider the content of your experience? Both pleasant AND distressing

Did you feel separated from your body? No I clearly left my body and existed outside it

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? More consciousness and alertness than normal I was at peace with such a dramatic difference, being in a new world, talking in a new way, hearing answers I did not expect, feeling love too big to hold. Not scared to be the fool, not scared at all. I was back at home; I was just too stupid, to know it, at that time.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? During the spiritual experience, in the spiritual world, I was fully conscious and alert, but unfortunately, I was me, and I asked dumb questions. I also think, I got other information but I was unable to return with it, or it was taken from me, because I was in the spiritual world for at least 2-4 hours, yet I only have 10-15 minutes of memory, the rest is still hiding from me.

Were your thoughts speeded up? No

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning I don't think there was time there, but I don't know how I perceived that, yet I did, maybe I was told and I only forgot being told, I'm not sure. But everything felt normal, yet everything was very different than normal, in the sense that all knowledge of the past and future was there.

Were your senses More vivid than usual? No

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. This is weird, but unlike everyone else, I don't think I had vision, I don't remember seeing anything. I heard things, I perceived things, I did not see things (or if I did, I don't remember them).

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. I heard well, but not thru ears, I didn't have any ears or a body, all I had was consciousness and me being me. It was like the information went straight to my consciousness (or brain but I didn’t have one)! I've heard the term "downloaded" that is what happened when I was driving and I got information, but in the spiritual world, lots of people spoke, but they spoke as one, and that information went to my consciousness and when I thought they, heard my thoughts and responded just like talking but it was telepathically.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? I sensed their presence

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes There was a very large group of beings, I'm not sure if they were human, or souls, or if they were dead or alive, but they felt like human responses and they seemed alive, in that they communicated and responded to my thoughts.

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? No

Did you see an unearthly light? No

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? Some unfamiliar and strange place I was in another world or another realm, nothing like earth, but I didn't have any visuals, so I didn't see anything but I participated in conversation very similar to human conversation and I perceived things.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? The biggest emotion I felt was LOVE! I also felt calm and at peace.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about myself or others Not everything, but I understood things, I don't experience here, like talking telepathically.

Did scenes from your past come back to you? No

Did scenes from the future come to you? No

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Other Christian I had stopped being a Christian, maybe a couple of months, no more than a year, before I had this spiritual experience. I was no longer a Christian because I learned in Sociology of Religion class in college, how much Jewish culture was in the Bible, God would not have made the mistake of being limited or confined to human culture. So, my faith in Christianity ended; which had a big effect on me, but I tried to keep an open mind to what-ever was the real God.

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? Yes Just recently, I've turned towards God instead of hiding and running from God, as I did after my spiritual experiences and going to the spiritual world.

What is your religion now? Do not know I am spiritual, I believe there is a God – the creator, I just don't trust human made religions for providing the answers, I prefer to keep a question mark and an open brain.

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was entirely not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience I had no belief that love could be so powerful, or that the spiritual world was filled with so much love. The love was way outside of anything I could believe, or imagine; galaxies were filled with an abundance of love!

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes I value God and God's love to be the best force anywhere, it took two decades but I finally figured it out!

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify I sensed there were many people or beings, thousands or more, but they talked as one, or like a chorus of many voices but all saying the same thing.

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I sensed their presence

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? Yes I did not know, that amount of love existed. I did not know, all knowledge was in one place, I didn't know I could be so comfortable in a new world, I didn't know how to communicate telepathically. So, a lot was new to me, but yet very comfortable; probably because I came from there but just forgot. I also believe, I was exposed to a lot more information, but I forgot it also. (Forgetting or information being blocked is part of the experience).

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Yes I experienced oneness with them. I was one of them, yet different, but part of them, they were one with me, yet different, yet the same.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Uncertain I did not see God, I was not told God was there, but now, I know all that Love was from God and all that knowledge was from God, so I was too stupid at the time, to figure out the obvious.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? No

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Uncertain Not life on earths meaning or purpose. But I learned the spiritual world is not judgmental, they really don't care what we do or don't do on earth. I think the meaning or purpose of the spiritual world is love.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes I was told, and I believe, that everything and everyone that ever was or will be, is in that spiritual world.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? No

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes LOVE was the biggest force, for me to experience. It was almost too much, but I wanted it to continue!

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Slight changes in my life I've recently awoke to the truth that my two spiritual experiences, are the biggest and greatest gifts, I ever received on earth. God blessed me with both experiences, I don't know why, but I am grateful and much more interested in having a connection with God now, because of these experiences. This took 20+ years. I'm still not big on people, but I love God more, and I love nature and wildlife.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes The love was too big to put into words, the strength of the love too big to describe. The knowledge available to be known, was all so outside of my understanding or abilities to contain.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience My experience in the spiritual world is more clear and real than life itself is, yet I chose to hide from it for many years, I didn't totally forget it, I just didn't think about it, I hid from it. I regret it now, I think it was too much for me to handle.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? No

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? The fact that God picked me to give these two spiritual experiences, warms my heart right up!

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes I shared with my counselor and a little bit, to one friend at the time of the spiritual experience. My counselor believed me and believed it possible.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? No

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real I never doubted the experience, but I didn't know if it meant I was crazy or not. I doubted me.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real. Now I know, I'm not crazy, that I was given a gift too big for me to understand and contain.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experience? I was sexually abused, raped many times at the age of 5. I left my body a lot to deal with those bad experiences and it's after effects. But when I left my body due to trauma I would only spin circles in the air above my body, I never went to the spiritual world.

Are there any other questions that we could ask to help you communicate your experience? Include all Spiritual Experiences, not just Near-Death experiences.